Myanmar military forces and immigration officials are conducting door-to-door sweeps in Kale Town, Sagaing Region, issuing conscription notices and forcing even underage students to sign pledges to enlist upon reaching legal age, according to residents.
Authorities are utilizing official household registration checks as a pretext to identify and target men aged 18 to 35 across nearly all downtown wards in Kale.
Residents report that the regime’s bureaucracy has produced severe oversights and coercive demands.
In one instance, authorities delivered a conscription notice to the family of a young political prisoner serving a lengthy sentence.
Officials refused to accept the family’s explanation until his parents obtained formal verification from prison authorities.
In Kanpale Village, conscription notices were issued in the names of three men who had already died, with officials similarly demanding strict proof of death from grieving families.
Meanwhile, families with relatives living abroad face pressure to show evidence of their overseas status or recall them to Myanmar.
The drive has also targeted minors. In one case, a Grade 9 student was pressured into signing a binding pledge promising to enlist in the military after completing Grade 10 and turning 18.
“The conscription team went to his home, but because he was underage, they couldn’t draft him immediately,” a Kale resident said. “Instead, they forced him to sign a pledge promising to serve once he finishes Grade 10 and reaches the required age.”
Local sources link the escalation in arbitrary abductions and coercive draft enforcement to recent statements by junta chief Min Aung Hlaing reaffirming the strict implementation of the People’s Military Service Law.
Witnesses report an increase in street abductions, including an incident where two young Chin men were forcibly dragged away by soldiers while shopping in Chan Myae Aung Si Ward.
Door-to-door draft notices and checks have been reported across major Kale wards, including Aung Thitsar, Chan Myae Aung Si, Nyaung Pin Thar, Mingalar Ooyin, Aung Myae Man, Aung Mingalar, and Kanpale.